Center bearing



ba. 11, 1945. 8. Bowel-01p 2,390,493

CENTER BEARENG Filed April 20; 1945 ATTE R N EYB Patented Dec. 11, 1945 UNITEI STATES PATENT OFFICE CENTER BEARING Stefan Bochonok, Enola, Pa. Application April 20, 1943, Serial No. 483,798

1 Claim.

My invention relates to grates for ,reboxes and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved center bearing for grates such as are employed in locomotive fireboxes or in installations where it is necessary to employ a center bearing for grates in the rebox of a boiler.

An object of my invention is to provide a center bearing for grates employed in freboxes of boilers, wherein novel means are incorporated for circulating boiler Water through the bearing to maintain the latter at a lower temperature, and in` which the bearing operates to heat water circulating therethrough.

Another object is to provide a grate bearing of the type described wherein means are incorporated for circulating a cooling medium therethrough to maintain the bearing at a relatively low temperature and prolong the li-fe thereof.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of a center bearing in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the bearing of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a side view of a detachable part of the bearing of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is an end view, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Figure l.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a center bearing I4 for supporting rebox grates such as are employed inlocomotive reboxes or other large boiler installations. This bearing comprises a tubular body 50 which is installed lengthwise of the rebox and has its ends welded at I8 to plates 20 and 22 of the boiler wall structure 24 and the flue sheet structure 26.

Openings 28 are provided in the sheets 20 and 22 to permit boiler water to circulate through the tubular body 50. The outer sheet 30 of the boiler Wall structure 24 is provided with an opening 32 which is reinforced at 34 and normally closed by the usual manhole cover 36. The opening 32 is coaxial with one of the openings 28 and the opening through the tubular body 5i) to facilitate inspection and cleaning of the tubular body. The tubular body 5D is provided with two laterally extending flanges 48- which flanges are located at diametrically opposite sides of the tubular body 50 and in a common horizontal plane extending longitudinally of the tubular body. Each ange 48 is provided with bearing depressions 6I for the reception of the pivots of grate bars to be supported on the center bearing.

The grate bars are old and well known in the art, and need not be described in detail. Sufce it to say that the grate bars are arranged at right angles to the center bearing I4, and the depressions 6I on the two sides of the tubular body 50 are coaxial. A strengthening web 56 is formed integrally with the tubular body 50, and depends from the tubular body in a vertical plane through the axis of the tubular body.

A center bearing such as that illustrated is maintained at a lower temperature by reason of the water circulated through the bearing. Such circulation of cooling water and the sturdy construction of the center bearing, together with the strengthening web 56 provides a center bearing which eliminates the necessity of supporting props intermediate the ends of the bearing. Should the center bearing I4 be characterized by objectionable lengthwise expansion, the tubular body 50 is formed with annular diameter enlargements 62 which may buckle to compensate for lengthwise' expansion of the tubular body.

The flanges 48 are detachable from the tubular body 5U. Each ilange 48 is provided with a depending flange 52 which lies against the outer face of the tubular body 50. Projections 54 are formed integrally with the depending strengthening web 56 depending from the tubular body 50 and formed integrally with the latter. Fingers 58 depend from the flanges 52 and are receivable in openings 6I) in the projections 54 to hold the flanges 52 against the tubular body 50 when the fingers 58 are inserted in the openings 60.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

In a steam boiler rebox, a grate bearing comprising a tubular body having its ends connected to the boiler wall structure and communicating with the water space therein, a depending web extending along the bottom of said body longitudinally thereof. a pair of flanges extending along opposite lower side portions of the body in close contacting engagement therewith, each of said anges having its upper edge disposed intermediate the top and bottom of the body and'formed with longitudinally spaced sockets for pivotally supporting grate bars, apertured projections extending laterally from opposite sides of said web at longitudinally spaced intervals and formed with 

